The Finished Kitchens Blog has pictures and information about many GW members' finished kitchens. Not only can you see them alphabetically, but you can also use the "Find-A-Kitchen" function to utilize several search options if you're looking for specific things like a kitchen w/a Beverage Center or a kitchen w/a mix of dark and light cabinets. Access "Find-A-Kitchen" via the via the menu bar at the top of any FKB page. Additionally, "Find-A-Kitchen" contains a link to "In-Progress Kitchens" for those members' kitchens that are not quite ready for the FKB. There is also a link to "Coming Soon Kitchens" for those kitchens that are ready for the FKB but have not yet been added. To access the "In-Progress Kitchens", the "Coming Soon Kitchens", and the "FKB Categories", see the links on the menu bar at the top of any FKB page.

The Appliances Forum is very useful when you have questions specific to appliances.

Other topics such as layouts, planning for storage, and stone materials are discussed in later topics in this thread. Even more information can be found by doing a search on the forum.

Tips:

Before posting a question, please search the forum. There's a very good chance someone has already asked the question.

When using the "search" function, be sure to use the search box on the bottom of the page, not the top!

Note, however, that you will probably have better luck searching if you use Google (or similar search engine) than if you use the Forum search function. When using Google, to limit your results to Garden Web, include the following in your search criteria:

***site:ths.gardenweb.com
In the Subject, the site changes the double quote used as the inches indicator (") to a single quote ('). We don't know why. To compensate, use two single quotes and it will appear as a double quote in the Subject. Luckily, the double quote works in the message box.
When composing a new thread, you have a couple of options:

Have replies emailed to you: check the box offering this option. However, you must have "Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site." box checked in your profile for this to work (see the "Your Profile" link at the very top of the page) [See the post later in this thread with the Subject: Getting Emails Sent To You...3-step Process]

Insert a link: When you "preview" your message, you will be provided with two boxes for a...

Note that the topic in the link above describes how to post multiple links in a thread as well as describes how to use the GW "link" function. The GW "link" function is fine if you only have one link to post. However, if you have multiple links to post, the topic above will tell you how to do that as well.

When you post a layout for comments, please do not take the comments you receive personally. Everyone here is trying to help, not criticize maliciously. We want you to have a kitchen that, in the end, functions wonderfully well and looks nice overall. This may mean that some of us may tear apart your layout and rebuild it to what we think will work better, but it's done with good intentions. We're not the best at just "validating" someones layout, we're best at critiquing!

I will warn you that most of us here are "function over form" (or "function first")...meaning we strive first for a functional layout and then fit the form or look around it. It is far easier to make a functional kitchen look nice than it is to make a nice looking but dysfunctional kitchen functional. So, if you are a form/looks over function person, be sure to state that when you post.

Some people here think "function over form" means that we want all kitchens to look the same....not true! What we do want is all kitchens to function well...which means that in 99% of the cases, the workflow is the same...so that will mean some similarities due to workflow. However, as each kitchen is unique, each will have its own unique quirks, etc.

In the end, remember this is your kitchen. You don't have to make any of the recommended changes if you don't want to!

[Note: If you're just posting for validation of your layout (i.e., you don't want comments that suggest changes), state that as well. If you don't, people will comment on it!

Warning: People may comment anyway, it's tough to let a kitchen go that you think is dysfunctional and will cause angst later...especially if it's not yet installed and we think we can help. Bear with us, we're just trying to help!]

Bump. I just read this for the first time finally after stalking this site for the past several months. Seriously, this should be required reading.
I wish there was some way to measure all the help and inspiration you have provided on here, Buehl. I have, without a doubt, personally benefitted. The kitchen I'm going to be building is an entirely different shape and layout because of the collective wisdom of you and several others on here. And even though it's only on paper at this point, I am 99.9% sure that it's a much better design than I could have EVER come up without you.

I'm bumping this early because I can't seem to time it right, and I have to say HI to Angie-DIY, and thank Tea4all for your bump'n performance.

I am heading down to the shop to work on my sink. I have a new router. The old one was not up to the task with this harder stone. I went to use the old router on the hard SS, after varifying the bit was sharp with last years softer SS, and it fell apart, the router that is. I don't think it was the stone that made it fall apart. DH, ever the penny pincher, tried to put it back together. I tried to help. Then I said "I'm going to the Woodsmith's Shop to get a new router!" I live in the country, so 15 minutes into my trip DH calls me to tell me he's got it fixed. I turn around and I call back to my peeps at the Woodsmith's Shop to cancel my arrival. I had wanted to pick up a router before they closed so I had called ahead to give them warning. So, I get home and tried the router. And yes, it spun just fine, but it wouldn't cut through a banana. Too late that night, but the next day DH and I went to the Shop and found Terry who was going to help me with a router. He laughed and said "I new you'd be back".

To work this harder stone, I ripped 4 tracks 1/2 depth of material in the 5/8" width of my dado and rabbets. Now I hope my new router will take out the weakened area. Safety glasses, check; protective gloves, check; ear protection, check.

Enduring I appreciate your thanks. Buehl's compilation of information is way too helpful to let it go by the wayside. I have returned to it many times because I don't seem to remember things as well as when I was younger. Besides, newbies especially need it. Trying to search GW can be frustrating.

I enjoy your sink updates Enduring! You go girl! It will be another fantastic sink. Your stone is beautiful!

Old bumper here! Well, I'm not really old....although lately I do feel that way. My 3.5 year old is killing me with her snotty attitude, language and oppositional-ness. She's acting developmentally appropriately, but she's giving me gray hair by the dozens.

Welcome Breezy! I have been wondering how you have been doing. Your absence is felt.

Sorry for the trials of mothering a 3 and 1/2 yr old. Been there, done that. Even though my boys are 26 and 30, I still remember the exhaustion and frustration of those young years. You have lived through this before with your older kids so you know it will eventually pass. Hang in there. Virtual hugs to you! Someday that child will rise up and call you Blessed.

Annie Chapman sang a song years ago about rough days when a mother of young children just wants to be a survivor. It always encouraged me.

On the road, in Wisconsin, going up to Lake Superior, for a open ended 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 day road trip with DH. Cat and horse chores assigned. Had wonderful beer in a micro brewery and listened to some fun fiddle music. Sat next to a very fun couple from the area and talked about world travel. Got to do that some day soon:)

I'll join in & help w/ the bumping. This has been a great site for me so far in some of my decisions & great things to think about. I need help on my layout now so if anyone finds my "layout dilemma" thread & can add opinions/thoughts, I'd be very grateful.

bumping b/c the FAQs are not complete - things have been dropped from them. However, the other thing we've lost and that affects this thread as well is the Subject lines in the posts. On GW, we could change the Subject for our post - and I did that in the Read Me threads to describe a particular "topic".

No - don't make it a sticky! I sent text to Tamara shortly b/f the move with new text to use for a sticky. I will review it to see what needs to be changed now, but I will make sure it has links to the "new" FAQs with a description of what each FAQ is for.

To post pictures,

Select the "Photo" link below the message window (it has a camera icon).

When it opens to the page to find select a picture from your computer, enter the URL from the Photobucket picture. Use the URL in the box labeled "Direct".

Then select the Open button. If it takes longer than a couple of minutes for the picture to show up, cancel it and start over. I had to do that several times when I was testing.

Later tonight or tomorrow I will put this in the Posting Pictures FAQ along with pictures showing what you should see and where to get the URL - I don't have time right now, unfortunately! (I'm also working on patching the FAQs since they're all truncated - in many cases mid-sentence!!!!)

Yes, Like Dedeoboe says, Macs dont work this way. I have been on several blind trails over the last several days. I use "direct" and can post a link to the photobucket. but I can not place the file name copied from photobucket into a file box when using the "photo" button to open a file. On a mac I only have option to select a file from a list, not adding a file.

So...is it the "Direct" link in Photobucket that's missing? Did you check your settings? You get to pick and choose which link shows up - maybe you don't have it set for the "Direct" link? [This is what Dekeoboe seems to be saying.]

Or, is it Houzz's Photo functionality that doesn't allow you to enter the "Direct" URL? [This is what Enduring seems to be saying.]

I have "direct" link and that is the only photobucket option that will actually function with the "link" button below. I will turn green in the post, when used in the "link" below. Several days ago, I tried all of them, ie "email & IM", "Direct", "HTML" & "IMG". The "Direct" option was the only one that worked, and only if inserted into the link button below.

I will have to go to a post on another tread to verify, because I have tried so many things and options that I am getting lost.

Oh Buehl, I have just spent 10 minutes getting all examples into this post to illustrate how many ways I have tried to link into GW from photobucket....Then the thing jumped to the main kitchen page and all my text is gone. This happens a lot to me.

Other things that happen are that when I am adding a "link" into the "link" button below, it does not insert the link into the text where my cursor is set.

I will try again. When I use the pasting of the photobucket "share link" into the text, like I did before in old GW, they are just text and not hot linked (green). When I link them to the link button below, the link is hot.

In addition, when I copy the Photobucket "share link(s)" ("email&IM"; "Direct"; "HTML"; and "URL") into the "link" option below, it auto copies into the upper box of the "Link" option as well as the intended spot for the link in the bottom box. I have to "control"+A to highlight the text in the upper spot so I can delete it, and type in my title to my link.

There seems to be a lot going on that isn't working with my Mac OS and Houzz. And there are others. I will link the Bathroom forum thread that has been trying unsuccessfully to solve the image problem, no pun intended :)

Hello everyone! I started a new "Read Me" thread with updated information, so please bump that thread instead of this one.

Thanks for keeping this one "alive" while I worked on a new one. It took some time as formatting is wonky right now and I ran into very strange errors and had to start over several times. But - it's ready! Bump away!!

Thanks buehl! This is the 1st time I've been back to GW in a few weeks &....what the heck happened?!? I knew Houzz was buying GW, but I had no idea it was going to this format. I actually couldn't find GW at 1st from the link I used to go to, but I got here! So, thank you for getting info put back on here for everyone.